A well meaning plea!

Of late there has been some to-ing and fro-ing of remarks regards questions and there responses.

We all have to realise we are all of differing backgrounds and experience, as such our questions, whilst obvious to some are not so obvious to other forum members.

New members sometimes come on here for advice and are unaware of how the 'search' facility works until they have been on here a wee while.

Can we all take a deep breath and help our fellow riders, new or old. Most agree this is a friendly site and I for one would like it to remain so. A haven for riders of Silver Wings to hang out, swop ideas and be generally helpful towards our fellow members irrespective of experience. We frequently welcome new forum members with the offer of help to their questions. Let us just do that - help.

Thank you.

Doug:
Well said. When I first joined the ranks of the Silverwing owners on this site, I was warmly received and provided with a wealth of information that helped me figure out what I could do to customize my bike for me and my particular needs. It seems like the general tone has changed a bit and not for the better. It would be good to shift back to a more friendly, accepting place.

yes lets all act like we just met each other and remain civil.

Thank you for your time.

MaxB

x

I for one have never liked hearing newer members being told, "Use the search feature". Obviously anyone with a half a brain's worth of computer knowledge can see the site has a search feature. They could even save a step by going straight to google or bing or msn to find out an answer to their question. Could you imagine an official at a press conference constantly answering questions from the press corp with "Now folks, what did I tell you last week (or last year)? Look it up in your notes!"
What may seem like the same old question to you or I (like the "glazed clutch squeal") may be a big scare to a first time rider. Obviously they have a need to talk it out with a real, somewhat empathetic person who will play the role of a shrink and just listen and answer. That's why most join, otherwise they could just lurk around as a guest, never joining, and the search feature will still be there for them. When you think about it, probably a huge percentage of things written here daily, have probably been written here many times before. Imagine if we just saved our typing fingers and just searched. In time, there'd be no new conversations, no new human interaction--just automated answers simply from hitting a button. How sad.
As to the in-fighting: I was tempted to retort with the old phrase heard so often in the Introduction section---"Welcome to the friendliest Silverwing forum on the web". But the timing wouldn't have been right in those hot moments and the sarcasm would have just made folks madder.

I think the 'problem' of the SEARCH facility is that different forums have different ways in which they operate and for those of us who are less computer-literate, guidance is helpful.
For example, on the X9 site, in order to get a full search of the whole forum, one has to start from the Home Page and unless newbies are told that, they start from the section they're in and that only shows relevant posts in that section.

Thanks, Doug. I wish I was as diplomatic.

Sometimes the use of a smilie can show that it is a well meaning comment rather than telling someone in a harsh manner.
This has always been a problem with forums, the typed word doesn't show intonation.
One possible way to direct anyone to the Search feature would be to post a link to the Search saying something like "Try this, I found it be using the search function".
I'm not known for my diplomacy but I'm prepared to cut a little slack. It is when people keep asking questions instead of using the search button that gets my goat.
Cheers,

tarmacburner2 wrote:

..... that gets my goat. Cheers,

well you are so bbaaa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aaddd!! :lol!: :lol!: :lol!:

I don't think there's any in-fighting on here if you're referring to my little spat with bigbird yesterday, I'll admit I can be both sarcastic and caustic, and I do apologise if anyone took offence.
There's lots of things that wind me up about forums, people who join to pick the collective brain to solve their current problem then disappear for good without a word of thanks, members who don't have the courtesy to introduce themselves before asking for info. Requests for info about the Silver Wing v other scooters when all the info is already out there in magazines or on other web sites.

It's also irritating to read about the never ending quest to try and turn a fine maxi scooter into sports motorcycle. All this 'flicking it through the twisties' stuff is nothing but bull****, because no one will ever admit the limitations of their riding skills.

Anyone who has seen Victor Meldrew on the telly would expect you to be a grumpy old git - if you weren't people would think you were ill or something!

(please note use of smilie)

Cheers,

jobo2mi wrote:

tarmacburner2 wrote:

..... that gets my goat. Cheers,

well you are so bbaaa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aaddd!! :lol!: :lol!: :lol!:

Is there really such a place as 'Kalamazoo'? I thought that was made up for the song!

Cheers,

The Scootist wrote:

Doug:
Well said. When I first joined the ranks of the Silverwing owners on this site, I was warmly received and provided with a wealth of information that helped me figure out what I could do to customize my bike for me and my particular needs. It seems like the general tone has changed a bit and not for the better. It would be good to shift back to a more friendly, accepting place.

+1

tarmacburner2 wrote:

Is there really such a place as 'Kalamazoo'?

Kalamazoo, Michigan

I really enjoy hearing what others have done to customize their machines for their own taste or needs and I certainly do not find anything about that irritating. There are so many very passionate Swing owners who have added all types of modifications to their bikes. I simply can't imagine why anyone would care if someone else gets a kick out of modifying their own swing to suit their own taste or needs. If you do not want to modify your machine, then don't, but it irritates the piss out of me to hear someone else try to tell me what I should or shouldn't do with my machine. Get over it. It is my bike and I will do whatever I want to with it just because it pleases me.

x

This is just my humble opinion, but if I'm joining a board to learn something, I want to respect all the hard work that GURUs (Anyone who knows so much more than I do that I value their input and opinion) have already put in providing answers. I think it would be disrespectful to not search for the answers among the knowledge already posted. Why should I expect them to go thru the effort for the eleventybillionth time to answer a question I could have searched for myself? They already spent their time. Now it my turn.

Dan

I would like to address a possible offense I may have caused which was mentioned above. I can't recall if I ever introduced myself on this forum before starting to ask questions, so here goes...

My name is Craig and I live in California US. I own a 2002 Silver Wing which I bought brand new in 2002, sold in 2009, and bought back this year (should NEVER have sold it). I retained some of my skills and knowledge, but I'm still re-learning the bits I lost. Since the time I bought the bike back I have had a few problems with it, and also determined that it needs a few improvements (after-market clutch for example). I have previously made several mods to the bike which I will now list in my signature like others have done. I will also create an album when I have the time to show all of the mods.

I previously visited another forum (location to remain unnamed) which started out absolutely fantastic. There were a few people who were a little bit harsh, but they often also had a lot knowledge which they did share. I learned to just let the unpleasant parts go by, and never respond in kind. Just not responding at all to an attack usually allowed the issue to just die down on its own, and allowed everybody to get on with their forum life. Unfortunately this was not the case with everybody. Sometimes a member would become incensed over a remark somebody else made (which may or may not have been personal), and would start a flaming war. This was extremely unpleasant, and started to happen more often. Over time I started to notice that fewer and fewer people were contributing to threads, and realized it was because they had left the forum. I ultimately did the same. I am glad to say that I have seen very little of this in this forum, and there seem to be a lot of peacemakers.

I have often used the search function in this forum, and I am trying to use it more often and get better at it. Sometimes the problem is that something is being referred to under a different name than what I expected, so I don't find it. Conversely, sometimes the obvious search phrase is so generic that a bewildering number of threads come up and I get lost. At least once somebody on the forum kindly suggested that I use search, and gave me a few possible search words to use. That was extremely helpful and not at all insulting. As a result I found a few threads containing the very information I was looking for. I hope that this sort of kind response to us search-challenged members will continue.

I have found this forum to be incredibly valuable, and most people have been friendly and helpful. As I (re)gain more knowledge I hope to be more of a contributor and give back to the forum. I just want to give a big thanks to everybody for making this a great place to meet with other Silver Wing owners, to find out information I need, and to have an opportunity to contribute in kind to others!

Meldrew wrote:

I don't think there's any in-fighting on here if you're referring to my little spat with bigbird yesterday,

Another one? I'll have to go look. You guys save me the expense of buying cable TV since it's not nearly as interesting.

I agree with most all of the comments here. We have a forum known for being friendly and helpful. I think we want to keep it that way. If someone has an issue with what someone else said, perhaps a PM is in order.

x

Thank you Waspie for starting this discussion. I think it will help maintain the "Mission" of this forum.

Respectfully, Gar

Hello bigbird, If I was interested in sports bikes I'd buy one, but I'm into maxi scooters, and handling isn't a problem or even a priority, although comfort, weather protection, and storage capacity is. You can add all the bits you want, but that's a minor part of ownership that is overshadowing the riding, whether it's on your home patch or further afield. Sort the screen and your storage needs, and you're ready for anywhere.

'Many citizens of this planet do not have that luxury that we take for granted', you're right there, I spent a couple of months seeing abject poverty in Kenya, and toured quite a bit behind the Iron Curtain back in the day, Nowadays illegal immigrants and claimants from there and other countries are helping bleed the UK dry, not that you'd be aware of that problem being on the other side of the Atlantic in Canada.

As for your last point, I suspect you'll go for the 24gr sliders rather than the cross Canada tour. I'm not being sarcastic in saying I've never read any posts from you about travelling in Canada, and I'd really like to... honest!

Indeed, seeing more people join and contribute is a good thing. That is why, earlier in this thread, I expressed concern about possibly "scaring off" newbies that are worried about an issue that we take for granted, not engaging them enough by telling them to go look for the answer on their own. While this forum is not a business that would be subject to good "customer service", one realizes how irritating it would be if an employee answered your question with a remark like "Go look down the hall" or "It's somewhere in the back of the store, look for it, dude". If we don't consider the potential "consumer's" feelings they may just quietly lurk around, see what they want and just move on without even interacting with us. Then, possibly, as Craig said the end result maybe, new memberships will go down. Now I've said all this because my business background has been in customer service and membership, where we're taught all this is necessary for the company's survival.
Yet, here is where the analogy diverges: not all businesses live off of memberships, but internet forums need them to thrive. So the original concept of us keeping them coming in is imperative, I feel. And if we must bend a little to maintain that comfortable atmosphere then so be it.

There is an awfully bid difference between:-
"Please look down the third aisle and you should find that item halfway down on the right hand side" and
"We have them somewhere on a shelf, move your fat arse until you find them".

Some people aren't experienced with forums and a little guidance is all they need. Other times it can be the forum layout that is confusing, take Silverwing600 and BurgmanUSA as examples.

tarmacburner2 wrote:

There is an awfully bid difference between:-
"Please look down the third aisle and you should find that item halfway down on the right hand side" and
"We have them somewhere on a shelf, move your fat arse until you find them".
.

Point well taken. So then, perhaps the lesson might be how we tell someone to use the search. Saying "If you look in search under belt squeal or clutch glazing you might find a plethora of experiences on that very sound." would be much more detailed and leading than something that might imply a "Sheesh, do a search people!" complete with eye rolls attitude, LOL.
In other words, let's not ever make anyone feel uncomfortable for asking. Not saying this is a big problem here, but lets all resolve to never let it become one.

Well said. I agree completely!

x

bigbird wrote:

GaryL wrote:

If someone has an issue with what someone else said, perhaps a PM is in order.

Expect a plethora of PM's

Or not!

bigbird wrote:

There's nothing I like better than braking for a hard bank, the exhaust barking and cackling on throttle roll-off, and then accelerating out of a bend or on-ramp with the Swing bent over at a 45 degree angle.

I have to admit, that really does sound kind of cool. Too bad it generally involves a lot of $ to get there. I don't know if I speak for others, but I find a lot of truth in both Bigbird's and Meldrew's differing views. I'd love to get Hyperpro springs and other mods to have the rush mentioned above and yet to have even half the touring experiences that Meldrew has had would be a lifetime of gratifying memories.
What makes us different makes us better. Here's to Silverwing600.com! And to the Silver Wing--may she ride on in two wheeled history forever.

Like many other folk I ride the scoot as my arthritic body struggles to get on and off 'conventional' machines. Having said that, I get just as much thrill/pleasure out of riding my recently acquired SWing as I have out of any of my bikes, now that I've gotten over the image problem I had.
I have just completed a 2300 mile tour in Europe, the Vosges,the Schwarzwald and the Ardennes using routes from a book by an American (Toby Ballentine). I got real pleasure from cranking the bike over on the hilly hairpin bends and I have to say that I was surprised (again) by how well the scoot handled fully laden with all my gear even on the standard suspension. The other two guys were riding BMW bikes, 150 hp and 110 hp and apart from the highways I had no problems with my performance. Scooting is here to stay !!!

If I may suggest....i think a nice and more helpful way to assist someone with a question rather than tell them to "look for it"....is maybe post a link as a reply that will take them directly to it(thread discussion).....i know that would make me feel more welcome than sticking a search box in my face. If someone new comes here looking for answers, most likely, that person dont know how to phrase the question/name of the parts/etc.....OR....the members here could just tell the new members....."your silverwing is Broke....hope u get it fixed "

S**t have I missed out on something here??
Why wasn't I told!!
I must search it out......

I think that if I were to go thru the trouble of searching it myself, I would provide them with only the keywords I used in my search.
This way they still have to get in the habit of using the earch engine.

DAN

I like Dan's approach. Personally, I loathe search engines, but the only way to learn how a particular engine works is to use it. I'm a web editor in my professional life, and while giving someone a direct link to a specific thread or search result is a very nice thing to give someone who asked a simple question, showing them how you arrived at a result the way Dan describes is actually more helpful to them in the long run. Teaching someone how to fish instead of just flopping one on their plate, so to speak...

if new members knew how to truly use a search engine.....they wouldnt need to come here......google is big effin place.....

FlyingWing wrote:

if new members knew how to truly use a search engine.....they wouldnt need to come here......google is big effin place.....

Not so!

You can't find the spirit and joviality that exists amongst the good people on here.

There is more to the forum than seeking advice!

The bottom line is, we as a group like to help and assist people in need.

1. Some search engines need a search engine to find out how they function.
2. Even posters of details have trouble finding their own information on most search engines.
3 Some search engines list entire pages of a subject matter with the hidden details or words somewhere within that entire page's text! Every time one opens a post reads it decides it is not the one you are looking for, closes it and then has to start all over again. It can be frustrating to old and new members.
4. We may know a certain piece of information exists, but it can take us just as long or longer to find it as the person asking, so in my opinion it is quite acceptable to tell them that it exists and IF one knows where it exists to point them in the right direction or then advise them to search for the item themselves. Again it revolves around the time available on the computer, and how much time we can afford to spend at the time,while looking for an item ourselves so we can pass it on to someone who may or may not need it by the time we have found it.
5.It may be possible to have posts listed for old and new problems within a field framework eg set up in the same order as the workshop manual or parts manual
Electrical
Engine....
Gearbox..
Oils
Seat..
Tyres
This way if Joe Blow looks for a problem with, say his query on "Piston Pin exuberators" he looks up "engine". If someone has posted "piston" or "piston pin" he can then read this without too much hunting around. It would only be up to the poster to add to the correct field any info on that item. If nothing has been posted on his subject his initial question can be left under "piston pin exuberator" and we can all find it when we log on and answer accordingly.

If this doesn't make sense then let it be consigned to the lost posts locked away in the memory banks

i would hope that this is a jovial place for people to find answers.....if it is .....then why are we having this conversation :-)

Because... we can...

Hello FW,

Generally speaking this is one of the friendliest forums you will come across. Occasionally people will have a rant, then they take their medication and calm down again. Sometimes all they need is their bedpan changing!
Stick around.

Cheers,

FlyingWing wrote:

i would hope that this is a jovial place for people to find answers.

Are you the alter ego of cjclowers asking basically the same questions on the other jovial Silver Wing forum?

x

I quit going to the "other" forum a long time ago; it's simply much friendlir here. You guys (and gals) are great.

So getting back on topic, in the interest of keeping it that way, maybe the best reply for someone with a question is to a) provide a link to the specific answer or thread if we know it, and b) provide useful search terms to help them if we don't. Yes, it can get redundant, but we don't want to get like that other guy.

And there are many of us on here to whom the term "curmudgeon" can readily apply (self included). We need to keep in mind that some folks, especially newbies or those despirate for an answer, don't always appreciate that. I have to remind myself all the time to turn down my sarcasm and cynicism dials...

Does the term "curmudgeon" meaning surly or bad tempered person, or even "grumpy" bad tempered or sulky, apply to anyone on here. Spend a bit of time on scooter forums and you find people joining only for someone to solve their current problem before they disappear for good, or until their next problem occurs. What's wrong with spending a few minutes introducing yourself in your first post, your scooter, your location, and interests. It's a courtesy to the forum you're joining, and you'll be warmly welcomed for it.

I'm able to find out the most obscure facts about the most obscure subjects just by spending a few minutes researching , so why can't the complainers make the effort. I can't see anyone being offended by the comments on here either, I had a look in at a British "Trad" scooter forum yesterday where maxi-scooters are considered to be 'fag chariots' by the weirdos on there who think that dragging a shagged out Vespa to a British seaside holiday resort is hard core rallying.

well hello MELDREW....so u do speak...BIGBIRD....the other forum has not banned me and i have mentioned this other forum....over there....i did notice that one of my threads somehow disappeared.....i like to go to both because i get a different perspective from each one....I havent been here or the other one for 6-8 months....but i have noticed a general attitude change here....for instance......"can we have a darkside section....NO!!!"

Why do you Darksiders want to continuously want to waffle on about your rear car tyres, and in a special section too. You've made the choice, so live with it. I changed the front tyres on my car from Good Year to Bridgestone last month and I didn't feel the need to discuss it, they're inflated with nitrogen gas too, but I don't like to brag.

x.

x

bigbird wrote:

Meldrew wrote:

they're inflated with nitrogen gas too

Now there's a waste of money.

Not yours though!

Positives in everything!!!

x